Posts by: Kara

A Look Inside Dean Street
A few weeks back, we mentioned that former Spotted Pig chef Nate Smith was preparing to open a place called Dean Street in the old Tavern on Dean spot at Underhill. The new spot is open now and Yelper Noel R. says, “It’s strange because it’s almost as if the locals from the old Tavern on Dean spot have simply reclaimed their seats at the bar and continued their conversations from where they left off. This isn’t a bad thing since Dean Street already feels at home with a lively and fun crowd keeping the bar busy.” You can check out more photos of the space at Eater, and we’ve got a shot of the menu after the jump.

3 More Openings
“Alberto Avalle, who was one of the founders of the revolutionary Il Buco 16 years ago, will open a bakery, restaurant, and specialty foods complex, Pan Y Rosas, on Kent Avenue in April,” the Brooklyn Paper reports… Good news for fans of the Brooklyn Star: “The sweet tea will flow again at Joaquin Baca’s Southern-inflected eatery when it reopens on Feb 2. This expansive reincarnation—the original space was shuttered following a fire and reopened as Best Pizza—is nearly four times the size of the original, but the menu of hearty comfort food remains the same,” says The Feed… And according to their website, Mable’s Smokehouse (44 Berry Street at North 11th Street, Williamsburg) opened last night. “Barbecue has lots of company in Williamsburg, but this place cues the Midwest and South,” writes Florence Fabricant for the New York Times.

Marty Eats!
Everybody’s talking about the simply titled tumblr Marty Markowitz Eating, which consists of photos of our borough prez with food. Just keeping you in the loop, folks.

After the jump: Dean Street’s menu, Di Fara’s new look, and El Nuevo Portal vs. El Cibao… (more…)

Photo by 61 Local, via Grub Street

3 New Brooklyn Bars
“Beer garden and ‘public house’ 61 Local tweeted to say that it’s now open in Carroll Gardens. The 2,000-square-foot space from former Sixpoint-er Dave Liatti has local beer, wine, and kombucha on tap, plus a curds-focused food menu from Murray’s Cheese alum Chris Munsey,” writes Grub Street about this new spot at 61 Bergen, near Smith Street… Chowhound lambretta76 reports: “Walked by the former Kili space [79 Hoyt between State and Atlantic] yesterday (which has been closed for over two months) and noticed that ‘Cafe Piragua‘ has been displayed in the window… It looks like it’s just a bar; the kitchen is still going unused. Kind of a shame, that space has such potential.” … “Freddy’s Bar, the Brooklyn dive that was forced to leave its Dean Street home last year because of Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project, has just set a date for its grand reopening in a new location two miles away. On February 4, the new Freddy’s will open on 627 5th Ave. over by 17th Street in the nether regions of Park Slope next to the highway,” says Eater.

Restaurant Openings and Closings
Grub Street says that Naidre’s on Henry Street is closed, but the new owners are already gearing up for a springtime opening: “It’ll reopen as Maybelle’s Café, a 30-seat café with a vegetarian-vegan focus… [Co-owner Sarah] Lovitt says they’ll introduce dinner several months from now, but they’ll first focus on breakfast and lunch… Intelligentsia will go into the Seattle-made Synesso machine, and laptop users can rest assured they’ll be welcome to plug in and take advantage of free Wi-Fi.” The Park Slope branch of Naidre’s will remain in business… “There’s a Cheeburger Cheeburger opening right down the block from me in Park Slope, 3rd Street and 7th Ave. The space has been vacant since Miracle Grill shuttered almost a year ago… Anyone been to one? Thoughts? The internet buzz seems fairly good,” says Serious Eater JustinH… Eater posted a photo of Spritzenhaus, “the new Greenpoint restaurant from the owners of Spitzer’s Corner. It looks like the windows are going to be able to fold up and open all the way like an awning.” … And finally, FIPS says that Willie’s Dawgs in Park Slope will be closing this Sunday, January 23.

After the jump: Where to eat in Windsor Terrace… (more…)

Bark, Barrio and Belleville
FIPS reports that Bark Hot Dogs will start delivery service on January 25th. The delivery zone will range from “Bark (Bergen St. and Flatbush Ave.) East to Pacific Street, South-East to 4th Ave., South to 9th street, North to Underhill Avenue, and West to Prospect Park West.” Besides the basics, they’ll also be offering “some different party packs to go including Dogs, Burgers, Sides, Growlers, etc. at a discounted price for parties of 10 or more.” (Start planning your Super Bowl parties, kids!) Plus, the blog says that Mexican joint Barrio just jumped on the delivery bandwagon, and FIPS also spread-then-retracted a rumor that Belleville might be closing. Now it seems like the bistro is hanging in there, but they may have lost their liquor license. Photo by stu_spivak

Bevacco for Brooklyn Heights
60 Henry Street, Brooklyn Heights
Looks like Peter Sclafani, who runs Bar Toto, Provini and Bar Tano, is taking over the old Busy Chef space. Sclafani told the New York Post that the new place will be called Bevacco, will serve similar Italian fare to his established restaurants, and could open in six months or so.

Now Open: TJ’s
221 Smith Street, near Baltic, (718) 522-4120
“While the name TJ’s evokes a bar where you might find chicken wings by the bucket and Porkslap beer in a can, don’t let the name deter you,” says the Strong Buzz in a favorable review. The new Italian spot is serving “reliable old-school Italian favorites including homemade pastas, simple entrees like a boneless baby chicken roasted with rosemary and olive oil, and a nice roster of hand-tossed pizzas from the fire-breathing brick oven in the rear of the restaurant.”

After the jump: Chowhound-approved Cuban on Classon, more food carts for city parks, and Jay-Z invests in a Brooklyn wing joint… (more…)

Brooklyn Restaurant and Bar Openings
Eater claims that the Garden Spot Cafe opened on New Year’s Day in the old Greenpoint Coffee House space at 195 Franklin Street: “The new owners spiffed up the old dining room, it now serves cheap, standard diner fare, including an extensive line of breakfast burritos.” Plus, at 286 Graham Avenue in Williamsburg, “Tuffet, a cheese/meat/bar from a Market Table alum is now open, with 15 rotating cheeses, cured and cooked meats, salads, and a full bar with wine on tap.” …Time Out New York reports that Freddy’s “is making a comeback in early January” at its new digs at 627 Fifth Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets… And Eater shares a Park Slope tip that “a restaurant called PS BKLYN is building out at 833 Union St in the space that once housed Bussaco.”

Manhattan Comes to Williamsburg
Grub Street reminds us that La Esquina is taking over the old Relish space, the Meatball Shop is opening an outpost at 170 Bedford Avenue near North 7th Street this spring, and now ‘inoteca‘s Jason Denton has signed a lease at the old Ciao Bella place at 138 North 8th Street between Bedford and Berry, and the place should be opening in March. Truffled egg toast without leaving Brooklyn? Yes, please.

After the jump: Lucali heads to Manhattan, Time Out talks knives and bitters, James offers a new deal for the new year, and more… (more…)

Tons of Brooklyn Restaurant Openings
Choice announces a new shop via Facebook, “Keep an eye out for Dough, our latest outpost, opening soon, on the corner of Lafayette and Franklin Aves., specializing in gourmet doughnuts and coffee.” … Grub Street peeks inside the Emerson (561 Myrtle Ave., nr. Emerson Pl.), a “throwback bar” from the owner of Maggie Brown… Here’s Park Slope reports that an outpost of Gino’s, a beloved pizza joint in Bayside and Port Washington, will be moving into 140 7th Avenue… The New York Times reports on the opening of Brooklyn Oenology (209 Wythe Ave. Williamsburg), a “tasting room to sell wines made for it on the North Fork of Long Island with New York State grapes,” and Caselnova, the new Italian spot at 215 Columbia Street… And, finally, Grub Street and Eater talk about Brooklyn Fare‘s expansion to a 50-seat space next door to the market.

After the jump: A good reason to start drinkin’ at 11:11 tomorrow morning, and a review of the Narrows in Bushwick… (more…)

Recently Reviewed: Kappa Sake House
388 Fifth Avenue (Sixth Street), Park Slope; (718) 832-2970, kappasakehouse.com
“Best is the misleadingly named miso risotto ($8 at lunch, $9.50 at dinner), which is essentially congee with oomph. The rich soup — based on a broth of kombu and bonito flakes — comes in a cast-iron pot, roiling with tofu, shiitakes and scraps of egg… It is what you want to eat all winter.” [New York Times]

Brooklyn’s Weirdest Sandwiches
Eater maps out the city’s “strangest new sandwiches,” and 3 Brooklyn sammies make the list, including the O.G. Po-Boy at Honeychiles’ in Williamsburg: “Who would have thought that a thick pile of crispy skin-on French fries stuffed inside a loaf of flaky, mayo-slathered baguette, topped with beef gravy would actually be really good? And not a single customer has had a heart attack while eating it yet! $5″

After the jump: Rave review for a Smith Street spot and Court’s new wine bar… (more…)

Recently Reviewed: Roman’s and Lot 2
This week, New York magazine’s Underground Gourmet hits up two Brooklyn neighborhood spots. On Roman’s in Fort Greene: “We were partial to the fish—a tender hunk of halibut one night, a striped-bass fillet another—in a buttery wine sauce with cardoons and briny green olives.” They then head to Greenwood Heights to discover that “the defining feature of Lot 2 (other than the truly stellar duck-fat potatoes that accompany the burger) is the $25 four-course Sunday supper, already a neighborhood tradition. The weekly menu is posted online and scrawled on a horizontal chalkboard that runs along the wall, and the meal is served family style.”

Brooklyn’s Best Food & Drink
Time Out New York maps out the Best food + drink 2010 in NYC. Some Brooklyn picks we can totally get behind: the escargot at Kaz an Nou in Prospect Heights, the salted-caramel apple pie at Four & Twenty Blackbirds in Gowanus, and the Behind God’s Back cocktail (a rum drink made with “cinnamon bark, cane syrup, pineapple juice and a pair of bitters”) at Dram in Williamsburg.

After the jump: Restaurant employees attack blogger, the New Brooklyn Cookbook, a $5,700 wine experience, and more… (more…)

Recently Reviewed: Strong Place‘s Beef-Free Burger
Chef Kenny Tufo at Strong Place in Cobble Hill has created a lamb burger ($11) that is the picture of structural perfection. A thick grilled patty, charred on the outside but juicy on the inside, is served on a sturdy Balthazar bun smeared with feta, with lettuce, tomato and pickles on the side. The meat, from Los Paisanos on Smith Street, is seasoned only with salt and pepper. It’s the Platonic ideal in a hamburger — juicy, meaty, and redolent of the animal from which it hails. [Kristen V. Brown for the Brooklyn Paper]

El Beit Branches Out
El Beit, one of the big coffee snob hangouts of Williamsburg, is opening up a second location in the neighborhood near the corner of Berry and North 3rd. In addition to serving premium coffee drinks and baked goods, the new spot will also rock a full menu of market-inspired Mediterranean fare, made in a full kitchen space with a wood-fired brick oven, says Greg Morabito for Eater.

After the jump: Babka, a culinary cross-cultural experiment in Crown Heights, and more wine for Smith Street… (more…)